Swinging into a new semester on campus is the high and low ropes challenge course at Western’s farm.
The challenge course opened on June 1 with its first group of agriculture students.
Jack Rudolph, agriculture department head, didn’t know what to do with land on the farm that he couldn’t cultivate or sell.
The recreation and intramural-recreational sports departments searched for decades for a place to put a challenge course, said Tammie Stenger-Ramsey, assistant professor of physical education and recreation.
The four departments collaborated to create the new challenge course with high and low ropes, Rudolph said.
“It was a group process getting this bad boy built,” said Luke Bartlett, coordinator of the Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Center.
Rudolph said he believes it is a good use of the property. It used to be a wet area with underbrush and trees without any marketable value.
“I think it is a fantastic course location and a great resource for groups working on group development and personal growth,” Bartlett said.
The departments of agriculture, physical education and recreation, intramural recreational sports and the College of Health and Human Services, along with the Provost’s Office helped, fund the challenge course, Stenger-Ramsey said.
Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, Charlie Graves from C Me Fence and all the Western departments involved in the project donated time and labor.
Stenger-Ramsey said the course has already been used by academic units and Western summer camp programs, as well as for staff development.
“It’s a great personal development tool,” Stenger-Ramsey said. “It is a wonderful team-building tool that can be utilized by all facets of the university community.”
The course is open to groups from student organizations, academic classes and the Bowling Green community, Stenger-Ramsey said.
There will also be opportunities for students to get academic credit in classes that use the course, she said.
“We’re excited to provide this experiential learning opportunity for the WKU community,” Stenger-Ramsey said.
Reach Magen McCrarey at news@chherald.com.
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